Seattle Mayor: Four candidates in six figures

Seattle Mayoral wannabees, City Councilmen Tim Burgess and Bruce Harrell both raised more than $32,000 in February, in a contest where four challengers took in more money that incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn.

Councilman Tim Burgess: He's raising more, and spending more, than any other candidate for Mayor of Seattle.

Securing the office on the 7th floor of Seattle’s arid new City Hall won’t be cheap. Four candidates have now raised more than $100,000, including State Sen. Ed Murray who has not been allowed to raise a cent since the Legislature convened in early January.

–Burgess leads the pack, in money raised and in the pace he is spending money. He took in $32,335 in February for a total raised in the campaign of $165,290. At the same time, Burgess spent $18,120, and ended the year’s shortest month with $73,521 in cash on hand.

–Harrell was out of the gate with $32,644 collected in February. The two-term Councilman spent $6,570, and ended the month with $15,077. Harrell has raised $48,898 as of the end of February, but in 2011 collected more than $300,000 for his Council reelection campaign.

–McGinn took in just $11,362 in February. He spent a frugal $4,071, and ended the month with a war chest of $57,070. He has raised a total of $131,186 during this campaign cycle, placing him a distant second to Burgess.

–Murray put away $124,069 in December, when he could still raise money. He spent down $18,818 in February, and had $78,913 at the end of the month. The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s best-heeled gay/lesbian political lobby, recently announced its support for Murray. The endorsement carries the promise of substantial financial support, when the Legislature eventually gets its work done.

–Charlie Staadecker, a Seattle realtor, has raised $109,765 as of the end of February, and ended the month with $59,696 in cash-on-hand. He raised $15,922 during the month, spending $13,012.

State Sen. Ed Murray. He can't raise money for Seattle Mayor campaign while Legislature is in session. But Human Rights Campaign endorsement carries promise of resources to come.

–Ex-Councilman Peter Steinbrueck has made news with his fiery opposition to the proposed NBA arena in SoHo, backing a legal challenge to the project from the Longshoremen and arguing that Seattle’s industrial neighborhoods need defenders, too. Steinbrueck took in $16,636 in February, spent $4,739, and ended the month with $25,855.

In the City Council races, veteran incumbent Richard Conlin led the way raising $19,136, followed by another hardy Council perennial, Nick Licata, who raised $15,145. Sally Bagshaw raised $5,675, and Mike O’Brien only $1,875.

O’Brien began March with just $1,105 in the bank as he begins the quest for a second term. Licata leads with $34,515, Bagshaw has $26,946 and Conlin had $26,659 in the bank.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes has raised $32,950, but only $485 of it in February. In case the Seattle Police Officers Guild wants to take him on, SPOG can check the records and see that Holmes — an outspoken champion of police reform — began march with $16,153 in the bank.